If you see cidfont f1 normal fixed in a log, it often means a PDF processor failed to resolve /F1 to a concrete font file (e.g., a missing .otf or .ttc ). The processor falls back to a generic mechanism. 3. "Normal" – The Registry/Ordering Pair The word normal here is deceptive. It is not a style (like bold or italic). Instead, it is a shorthand for a CIDSystemInfo dictionary key: /Ordering (Normal) .
/CIDFont /F1 /Normal /Fixed That is a built-in fallback for when no real CIDFont is available. It activates the “CIDFallback” mechanism with Normal registry/ordering. The final piece is Fixed . This tells the renderer: every glyph in this CIDFont has the same advance width . cidfont f1 normal fixed
/F1 << /Type /Font /Subtype /CIDFontType2 /BaseFont /HeiseiMin-W3 /CIDSystemInfo << /Registry (Adobe) /Ordering (Japan1) /Supplement 5 >> /DW 1000 >> That /DW key means "default width" – usually 1000 for em-based fonts. If you see cidfont f1 normal fixed in
CIDFont is not a brand or a tool. It is a PDF font subtype (specifically CIDFontType0 for PostScript outlines or CIDFontType2 for TrueType outlines). 2. The Mystery of "F1" – Resource Naming In the sequence cidfont f1 normal fixed , the F1 is the simplest element: it is a resource name , usually an indirect object key in a PDF’s /Resources dictionary. "Normal" – The Registry/Ordering Pair The word normal
/Distiller_CID_Fallback << /CIDFont /F1 /Normal /Fixed >> That tells the PostScript interpreter: “If you can’t find the requested CIDFont, use the Normal-Fixed fallback.” During rendering, if Ghostscript is missing a required CJK font, it prints: